Lithuania opens free radio waves to Belarus

  • 2006-01-27
  • By TBT staff


Baltic Waves Radio, which has been broadcasting from Lithuania to Belarus for six years, will enter the European Commission's international consortium to spread the free word to Belarus.



Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy, announced on Thursday that 2 million euros would be allocated for independent news broadcasts in the country run by authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko.



The money will be granted to a consortium headed by Germany's Media Consult. The winning consortium also includes European Radio for Belarus from Poland, Baltic Waves Radio from Lithuania, Russian TV company RTVi, independent journalists and representatives of Belarusian civil and non-governmental organizations.

"This is a nice example for cooperation, which will bring together media representatives from several countries," Baltic Waves Radio director Rimantas Pleikys told the Baltic News Service.

Baltic Waves Radio, which is based near Belarus, will rebroadcast programs prepared by the consortium, he added.